1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vent accumulator and, more particularly, to one which is designed to provide an air reservoir for a hydraulic integrator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a large number of mining operations which use large off-the-road vehicles to haul minerals or coal from the mine to a transportation point. A record of the tonage of material removed from the mine is kept by the operators of the mine, this tonage being obtained by weighing the vehicles when loaded and substracting the known empty weight of the vehicle therefrom. These vehicles are usually weighed upon transportable hydraulic scales which are either placed upon a level roadway or are placed within a shallow pit. In the operation of these scales, air is drawn in and expelled from a hydraulic integrator located within the scales. Dirt and other foreign matter are often drawn into the hydraulic integrator thereby fouling the operation thereof. Further, when the hydraulic scales are placed within a shallow pit, water is sometimes permitted to be drawn into the hydraulic integrator. If the temperature drops below freezing, the water which may be within the hydraulic integrator freezes and thereby renders the hydraulic scales inoperable.
In the past, numerous filtration devices have been used on the hydraulic integrator within the hydraulic scales. However, none of these prior art devices has been designed to provide a closed air reservoir system for a hydraulic integrator thereby preventing foreign matter from being drawn into the hydraulic integrator.